The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a tire in which the reinforcing members are surrounded by a liquid elastomer which is then solidified. It is called the reinforced liquid elastomer tire (RLET).
This method of manufacture enables an improved structural tire design which is included in the invention.
The invention also includes an apparatus to manufacture a reinforced liquid elastomer tire (RLET).
Tires have been manufactured for many years by similar methods. Most tires have been made from either natural or synthetic rubber and reinforcing fibers, cables and metals.
Traditionally rubber is mixed in a banbury, solid rubber components are formed with extruders or calendars, fabric or wire reinforcement components are coated with solid rubber using calendars or extruders, and then all solid rubberized components are assembled into an unvulcanized tire and subsequently placed in a hot mold having the shape of the finished tire and vulcanized under pressure for the appropriate period of time.
Mixing solid rubber in a banbury is energy intensive and does not disperse and distribute the solid materials as well as liquids can be mixed. Additionally, high horsepower banbury mixers are quite expensive compared with liquid mixers. Solid component forming extruders and calendars are also highly energy intensive and expensive and are not required for the RLET.
The solid rubber components are traditionally assembled one or two at a time on tire building machines which are inefficient, labor intensive, expensive and not required for the RLET.
The vulcanization reaction required to make rubber tires requires a high pressure curing press, high temperature molds and takes significant time. The RLET does not require the expensive and time-consuming vulcanization process.
The traditional tire manufacturing process using individual solid components limits the tire designer's freedom to design the ultimate performing tire. It is impossible to exactly control ply angle and belt angle along each cord or to exactly control all dimensions of components or finished tires. A traditional rubber tire must be shaped into a vulcanization mold. As internal pressure forces the tire to expand to conform to the mold, the solid rubber components move uncontrollably and ply and belt angle change uncontrollably. All of the uncontrollable variables associated with the traditional manufacturing process which detract from tire performance can be eliminated with the RLET.
Traditional tires made with solid rubber components can potentially have air entrapped between components or poor adhesion between components. It is possible to eliminate both air entrapment and component adhesion problems with the RLET improving overall tire durability and performance.